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Shoe Shine Kit?

I need some suggestions for a good shoe shine kit. I don't want to spend a fortune but I want something that will last and has all of the essentials. The kit is for persoanl use only.

Thank you!!
 
Watching this thread with interest. My current shoe shine 'kit' is a department store Kiwi shone shine kit. Cheap and cheerful, and sufficient or my workboots, but I'd like something a little better for my dress shoes.
 
The kiwi kit works great for me the only thing that needed replaced were the polishing clothes and the polish. I also added an applicator brush. You dont need to spend a fortune to get a great shine.
 
Assemble your own.

Favorite polish in each color
One applicator (brush, sponge, whatever) per color
One buffing brush per color
Buffing cloths, one per color (cotton diapers work well, as do the terry cloth towels sold at auto parts stores).
Small spray bottle for water if you use it.
You might also include disposable gloves to keep the polish form getting on your fingers.
And you get the flexibility of putting it into any container you want.

I find buffing down the surface holding the buffing cloth in the palm of my hand works better than the kind of cloth that shoe shiners use, as you can't really do that fancy "popping" type buffing while you're wearing the shoe (except perhaps on the toe). They're more for show than for getting a good shine, IMO.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Start off with good waxes. Saphir for me, but I'll leave the brand debate for another day. Anyhow, ...

You'll need a black and a neutral wax polish. (Black is for black shoes, neutral for everything else.)

Get a bottle of Saphir "Renovateur" for applying before you polish your shoes as a leather restorative. You don't have to use it every time, but maybe every third or so.

Then, I'd toss in a good horsehair brush.

I'd also get a jar of Obaneuf's LP paste for occasional deep healing. Let's say twice a year (if you rotate your shoes between winter and summer or whatever, when you bring the shoes out of storage, and then a few months later) you give them a coating of Obaneuf's, then you let them soak that in and buff off the residue, then the renovateur and buff, then the polish.

That'll get you started.
 
You can get the brushes and wax real cheap at Wal-Mart. Also, you will want to get some soul dressing to blacken the edges of your souls if they are leather.
 
The most important part is the brush. I have an old horsehair brush I got at the aafes in 1992 when I was in the Army. Still use it once a week to shine about 5 pair of shoes.
 
Saphir Shoe Shine Kit from Leffot.

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In the interest of ease, I just bought what Johnston and Murphy had in their store. One black polish, one brown polish, two horsehair brushes and two cloths. Its worked well enough so far.
 
In the interest of ease, I just bought what Johnston and Murphy had in their store. One black polish, one brown polish, two horsehair brushes and two cloths. Its worked well enough so far.

Don't forget neutral...which I prefer on light brown shoes. Browns are difficult to match but sometimes I like to use a little darker brown polish than the shoe to give the shoe a little bit of character.
 
If there is a Dillard's nearby I would suggest looking there if you want to be able to see everything first. This is where I assembled most of my kit. They have decent brushes. Also, many Western clothing stores (cowboy boots, black jeans, snap button shirts kind of places) will usually carry Mink Oil and Saddle Soap. I think Dillard's has stopped carrying those two products.

Don't buy parade polish. I've also heard bad things about Doc Marten's Wonder Balsam FWIW.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Don't forget neutral...which I prefer on light brown shoes. Browns are difficult to match but sometimes I like to use a little darker brown polish than the shoe to give the shoe a little bit of character.

Yes.

Black is easy because you need ... um, black? ... for the ... wait for it ... ONE ... shade of black. You also need ... no, wait, you just need the one black.

Brown is harder because there are so many shades of brown, from the darkest coffee to the lightest tan (virtually "natural") and all the way through they can have added redness or not. So you can't just slop on any old "brown" and expect that to be it. But a neutral/clear polish will give a nice shine without affecting or adding to the pigment, allowing more "natural" leather colour to show through.
 
Yes.

Black is easy because you need ... um, black? ... for the ... wait for it ... ONE ... shade of black. You also need ... no, wait, you just need the one black.

Brown is harder because there are so many shades of brown, from the darkest coffee to the lightest tan (virtually "natural") and all the way through they can have added redness or not. So you can't just slop on any old "brown" and expect that to be it. But a neutral/clear polish will give a nice shine without affecting or adding to the pigment, allowing more "natural" leather colour to show through.


Good advice...only downside is neutral isn't quite as good at "filling scuffs". If you can find a polish with your shoe color, buy it but as stated you NEED a neutral if you're wearing brown. I only keep one brown pair around to eliminate this issue.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Good advice...only downside is neutral isn't quite as good at "filling scuffs". If you can find a polish with your shoe color, buy it but as stated you NEED a neutral if you're wearing brown. I only keep one brown pair around to eliminate this issue.

True, although more applicable for browns than tans. IF the shoe is a light "natural" tan, scuffs can be "coloured over" with Obaneuf's LP or Saphir Renovateur, or even perhaps a clear wax/cream. But once you get noticeable pigment being added to the leather, and then a scuff cutting through the pigment, you need more pigment to cover up that damage.
 
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